Hello and welcome to 4-Minute Friday where I share, in four minutes or less, the latest things I’m doing to enhance my health, develop a better mindset, make day-to-day life easier, and other shenanigans.
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Squeezing in Veggies in a Pinch:
For no rhyme or reason outside of laziness, I’ve been slacking on incorporating vegetables into my meal prep routine.
And, unfortunately, when mealtime comes around, I don’t want to spend an extra 10-20 minutes preparing and cooking a side vegetable.
The good news is, I’ve found a shortcut… unsurprisingly.
Sauteed spinach.
It almost certainly must be the easiest vegetable to prepare.
The best part is that it can be ready just as my pre-made meal finishes warming up in the microwave.
Throw a handful or two of spinach in a skillet with a little avocado oil over medium heat, top with some coarse sea salt and you’re in business.
I’d be hard-pressed to find a meal that wouldn’t benefit from a little sauteed spinach on the side.
While of course it’s not optimal to ONLY consume spinach or other fast and easy vegetables, this is a great one to incorporate when you’re in a squeeze!
Mindset I’m Revisiting:
I recently circled back and finished a book titled The Mountain is You that I had started last year but put down for reasons I can’t recall.
It was a pleasant surprise to discover one of my favorite psychological frameworks tucked into the final pages. Even better, author Brianna Wiest details this phenomenon, the “spotlight effect”, flawlessly.
Simply, the spotlight effect is the way in which we put ourselves at center significance in our lives and that results in us imagining that others are also thinking about us and/or judging us just the way we are.
Short answer, they’re not.
Everyone else is consumed with themselves too, but it’s impossible for us to perceive since we’ve only lived one life… our own.
Wiest writes…
In a number of decades, you will be gone. Your home will be sold to a new family. Your job will be taken by someone else. Your kids will be adults. Your work will be done. This isn’t supposed to depress you; it is supposed to liberate you.
Nobody is thinking about you in the way that you think they are thinking about you. They are mostly thinking of themselves. When you feel self-conscious for going grocery shopping in your sweatpants, please know that nobody cares and nobody is looking. When you feel anxious about your accomplishments or lack thereof, please know that for the most part, nobody cares and nobody is looking. This is true of absolutely everything in life.
…
The more you put aside your spotlight complex, the more you’re going to be able to relax.
There isn’t much I can think of more depressing than living life in a way to impress or not let down others when they honestly aren’t even giving you much thought.
Be yourself, worry less about the judgement of others… because most of the time they aren’t judging at all.
And if they are, well maybe they don’t deserve to be a part of your life in the first place.
Summer Sun Protection:
If you’re anything like me, that first summer “base tan” often comes after getting absolutely fried and then waiting a few days for it to turn to a more welcoming color than tomato red.
Which is no fun.
But this year I’m making it a priority to avoid that at all costs. Not only because of the discomfort a sunburn comes with but also the risks down the line of getting smoldered on a regular basis.
Personally, I get the most sun burnt on my face which I guess makes sense because that’s the area most exposed every day.
That being said, it’s only logical to use sunscreen daily… at minimum on the areas consistently subjected to direct UV.
I’ve recently hopped on the bandwagon of the CeraVe AM formula and have benefited tremendously.
While most traditional sunscreens leave my face feeling oily and prone to irritation, this formula is designed for facial application and is much gentler.
It boasts a broad-spectrum SPF 30 making it up for the job on the sunniest of days.
Even more, it doubles as a moisturizer so you don’t have to add an extra layer!
What else?
While morning sunlight is crucial, don’t forget the value of getting outside in the evening as well for your circadian rhythm. It is especially important when you didn’t have the chance to get outside in the early hours. Even more, it’s a great digestion benefit after dinner!
We’re all just a grain of sand in a vast universe, live life accordingly.
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DISCLAIMER
This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.